Venturefest Wales

30 April 2013

Cardiff University has partnered with Cardiff Council, Finance Wales, Technology Strategy Board, Welsh Government, University of South Wales and Wales Business Insider to stage the first Venturefest event in Wales.

A networking event which aims to turn business ideas into reality, entrepreneurs, directors of high growth companies, academics and investors will come together in July at Cardiff's City Hall to debate issues faced by ambitious, high-growth firms including innovation, investment, people, commercial models and collaboration.

The event will feature a keynote address by Nic Weng Kan, managing director of comparison website business Confused.com and a panel of experienced entrepreneurs.

Wales is the latest location for the UK-wide network of annual Venturefests, which cover York, Oxford and Bristol.

Nick Bourne, Deputy Director Commercial Development at Cardiff University, and member of the Venturefest team, said: "Venturefest events in other regions have already demonstrated the benefits linking academic researchers with innovators and financiers can bring. We are pleased to be partnering with other like-minded organisations all of which are focused on helping create entrepreneurial businesses of the future."

The event will also provide a taste of the Venturefest enterprise event due to be held in Wales in 2014.

ByBox founder Stuart Miller, who has experience of Venturefest events in Oxford, will talk about how he grew a successful international company following a business disaster in Silicon Valley, and how be benefited from being part of Venturefest.

Venturefest Wales will provide a showcase for businesses poised for high growth and will be of interest to entrepreneurs, directors of science, technology, creative and high-growth companies, investors in high growth and early stage companies, and academics with potential spin-out businesses or an interest in business.